SPNL: Spiel Night Live

The TNT 2019 Purimspiel on Saturday, March 23 at 7 pm tells the story of the heroic Esther and the evil Haman through comedic sketches while satirizing classic Saturday Night Live characters like Wayne & Garth, Stefon, Debbie Downer, and much more.

TNT's 2nd Night Seder

Ner Tamid is a welcoming, diverse, and musical congregation where members connect with their heritage while thinking progressively about the present. Our mission is to inspire our members to make our community more curious, connected, and just.

All of the above work in concert to create and sustain a vibrant community. Our diverse congregation embraces the values of lifelong learning; inclusive, participatory and inspiring services; and repairing the world. As we learn and teach, live and pray together, we embrace each other and our Judaism with joy.

As I begin my tenure as the next Rabbi at Temple Ner Tamid, I can't help but reflect on what brought me to this congregation in the first place. More than anything, it was the people. The minute I stepped foot into the congregation, it felt like home.

In Yiddish, we describe a place that feels like home as heimish. It's a place where people know you, they care about you, and they show up for you. Ner Tamid is all that.

But it's so much more. Often when we call a community heimish we also make a claim about its vibrancy. Most of us are happy in our homes when it’s quiet, simple, and serves as a shield from the storm outside.

One of the amazing things about Ner Tamid is that it feels like home while defying that stereotype. It marries warmth with vitality. It is simultaneously innovative and welcoming, robust and comfortable. It welcomes you inside its walls and inspires you to expand them or get outside them.

Any good community should do two things: it should make you comfortable and it should rile you up. I was attracted to Temple Ner Tamid because it walks that line. Whether in prayer services, during a learning session, or pursuing justice, educating youth, or engaging in acts of love our community will remain at its best when it simultaneously says, "You matter. We are glad you are here" and "Our work is never done. We can always be better."

If you've found our page, welcome home. You are part of our family. So take a seat for a minute and then join us. We've got lots to do, together.

As we begin our new year at Temple Ner Tamid, and a new chapter in the life of TNT, it is my privilege to continue serving as President and giving my time to a place that I, like so many of you, care so much about.

In the early part of this past year, we featured our new Mission Statement which was derived from the self-evaluation process we undertook as part of our transition. Our mission is to inspire our members to make our community more curious, connected and just. And, we’ve done just that. Jewish scholars, an expert on the history of Jews in film, and a journalist who explored the role of religion in American presidential politics satisfied our members’ intellectual curiosity. Purimspiel, Membership Shabbat and a large Adult B’nai Mitzvah class connected us one to the other. We became a Supporting Sanctuary Synagogue and so many of us said Hineini, answering the call of neighbors in need, and did our best to make the world whole.

As we move into the new year at TNT, let’s continue to be our mission. An Israel committee has formed to answer members’ desire to learn more about Israel and make it an ongoing part of our lives; an Inclusion Task Force is working to make our building and programs open, accessible and inviting to all people, including those who have physical or emotional challenges. We are committed to be not just inclusive but embracing so that everyone, regardless of color, age, sexual identification or ability is valued as an essential part of the larger organization. Especially given the times in which we find ourselves, let’s commit to not only serving those in our immediate reach but to advocating for more widespread change that will improve the lives of many. And let’s not be bound by the physical walls of our precious building but rather go into the community to connect with anyone seeking a spiritual, ritual or communal Jewish experience. Our members have described our synagogue as welcoming, diverse and musical; a place where we connect with our past while thinking progressively about the future. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that Jewish home?

While the mission is to inspire our members, it is up to us to actually make it happen. So, let’s get to work.﻿